Wildlife Wednesday: Going Long with a 2.0 Teleconverter

Common Redpoll at White Spruce Grove, Chignik Lake, Alaska: The extra reach provided by a 2.0 teleconverter was crucial in getting this capture of a redpoll feeding high up on cone seeds.

The questions: Can sharp images be consistently obtained with a long lens and a 2.0 teleconverter? Does autofocus work with such a setup? And what about losing two full stops of light?

Dissuaded by some of the lackluster – even negative – reviews for Nikon’s TC-20III teleconverter in particular and for 2.0 teleconverters in general, I put off adding one to my gear bag for quite a while.

Black-capped Chickadee in Salmonberry Brambles, Chignik Lake, Alaska: Filling the frame with a tiny passerine can be challenging even with a long lens; a teleconverter can make a big difference.

Claiming that the TC-20III teleconverter only works with lenses with an aperture of 2.8 or greater, one reviewer states: “…(I)f…